


Reconstructing Eden

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Drama, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 22:15:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6584725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He didnt know how long he had been asleep when the screaming woke him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reconstructing Eden

CJ stood, holding hands with Leo as the President waved to the masses. They were moving out to the street when the first shot was fired. It sounded like a firecracker; people were shouting and running. Someone ran right through CJ; she reached frantically for Leo’s hand.

"Leo!" she screamed as glass and bullets flew around her.

She heard him scream her name, someone else ran past her, and then she was on the ground. CJ covered her head as a window shattered above her and someone laid on top of her. It seemed forever...maybe she blacked out. Her next clear memory is the EMT helping her off the ground. The good Samaritan was gone. As she stood surveying the scene, CJ answered all of his questions. Her head hurt and she scanned the crowd for Leo.

"Is the President dead?" she asked desperately.

"I have no idea." The EMT ambled away.

CJ stumbled across the street, really having no idea where to go. She picked up her shoe a few feet from where she fell and looked at the shattered windows. That could have been her...she stood right there. When she felt a strong hand on her shoulder she turned and looked at Sam.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"What?" her ears were ringing.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded absently.

"Sam, someone threw me down...someone threw me down. Is the President alright?"

"They shoved him into a car." Sam replied.

"What about Leo? We were separated in the crowd."

"I don't know. Come on, we’ll find out."

"Oh God Sam, what the hell happened?"

Sam tried to get Gina’s attention as she ran by. She would know about Leo. He was given the brush off; the FBI had to be informed. Sam and CJ began to walk away from the scene, stunned civilians in a war zone, when they heard the calls for help.

"It’s Toby." CJ cried.

They ran in the direction of the sound; found Toby sitting on the ground holding Josh.

"Help me." Toby pleaded.

Sam gasped, crouching down beside the two men. Lord, this cannot be happening, CJ thought as she called for an ambulance.

"You are going to be alright Josh." Toby said as the emergency workers rolled onto the scene.

They got Josh on the gurney quickly and though the senior staffers could not answer any of their questions, they ran alongside with them to the ambulance.

"Get in CJ. Sam and I will follow behind." Toby instructed.

"Toby, what about Leo?" CJ asked as the EMT helped her into the back of the ambulance.

"They threw him in the car with Shanahan."

"Is he...?"

"I don’t know." He held his fist over his heart. It was there way of saying they loved each other when words weren’t enough. 

CJ nodded solemnly as the doors closed and they pulled off.

***

The ambulance burst through the doors just like on TV. People were shouting out vital signs...there was chaos.

"Its Josh." Someone shouted.

"What happened?" CJ’s head snapped back when she heard Leo’s voice.

He and Toby were talking. Sam was talking to Josh, who was muttering something incoherent about New Hampshire. CJ stopped just short of the room, clinging to the wall as if she had been shot. There was Josh’s dried blood all over her hands, and a long scratch on her neck. Her necklace was gone, but she still had her engagement ring and no holes in her body. One of the heels on her pumps was broken too. CJ felt Leo’s arms around her waist and almost buckled. He pulled her back to him; CJ held onto his arms for dear life.

"I thought you were dead." She whispered.

"I tried to hold onto you...I called out to you."

She turned to look at him.

"The President?" she asked.

"He was shot, though it only nicked him. He is in surgery right now."

"Does Hoynes...?"

"We have all of that under control. You have to brief the press; they’re circling."

"Yeah. I will go back to the White House."

"OK. I should be there as soon as the President gets out of post-op. I love you Claudia Jean."

She held tight to him as he embraced her. This could not be happening to them. This happened to other people, in other countries...not in Rosslyn, Virginia. As Leo walked her to the door, Toby came up behind them.

"I’ll go with you CJ." Toby said.

"Yeah."

"Is your neck OK?" Leo asked her. "Do you want to see a doctor?"

CJ shook her head.

"Someone threw me down...I lost my necklace."

"I’ll be there soon. Toby, talk to Nancy McNally when you get back. You also need to see Ron Butterfield in the next couple of hours."

Toby nodded as CJ slipped her hand in his.

"Is everyone accounted for Leo?" he asked.

"Yeah. Go, we have a long night and day ahead of us."

Leo turned to go back to the emergency room; back to Josh.

"I love you too Leo." CJ said.

He blew a kiss and walked away. In the back of the Lincoln, CJ broke down in Toby’s arms. She nearly screamed as he held her close to his chest. When the car got to the gate of the White House she was CJ Cregg again...poised, graceful, and in control.

"You have to wash your hands." Toby said, helping her out of the car. "They're covered in blood."

"Yeah." She took a deep breath.

"Come on." Toby urged her forward before she could start to talk about it. He could not talk about it right now.

***

Briefings, hospital calls and visits, the morning shows (which CJ refused to do), seeing the President, good and bad flashbacks, and a conversation with Sam followed by the return of her necklace. For 40 ½ hours CJ Cregg did not once see the back of her eyelids. Anytime she thought of closing her eyes her mind went back to her and Leo’s hands parting. If it wasn’t that it was Josh, covered in his own blood and letting go of life. That was enough to jar her awake. Josh was barely out of the woods...they almost lost him three separate times on the operating table. It seemed as if the surgery was never ending.

"What are you doing out here?"

CJ jumped out of her skin. She turned and looked at Toby.

"You scared the shit out of me." She said through gritted teeth.

"I’m sorry. Please don’t tell me that you went out and bought cigarettes."

"No, I bummed a few from Dave the security guard. They aren’t helping."

"And yet you do it." Toby replied.

"Don’t lecture me." She warned.

As she raised the cigarette to her lips Toby saw that CJ still trembled. He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Do they need me in there?" she asked.

"No, I just wanted to check on you."

"I am not made of porcelain Toby." She said.

"You don’t have to tell me that...I saw the briefings. I wanted to check on you."

She looked at him, sighed, and sat down on the bench. Toby sat beside her.

"I need to sleep." She said.

"I am running on adrenaline. I’m going over to the hospital soon."

CJ shook her head. She talked to Donna and got an update. Right now she was chained to the White House.

"They took him off heart bypass." She said, crushing the cigarette under her pump.

"Yeah. Sam told me."

"I don’t understand how this happened."

"You never will." Toby replied.

"Every time I close my eyes I think about losing Leo, and being slammed onto the ground. The glass flew everywhere. I didn’t know who was alive and who was dead...I didn’t know if I was alive or dead."

"Yeah."

CJ looked at him; Toby looked at the ground.

"I love you Toby." She reached out for his hand and found he still trembled too.

"I, um, I love you too."

"Whatever problems we have I don’t care about them anymore. I could have lost you...I could have lost all of you."

He nodded, inattentively running his thumb along her knuckles. CJ leaned her cheek on his shoulder. Toby wanted to hold her but that was Leo’s job now. There was also a sputtering rage boiling at his surface like lava. He was not sure what would happen if he allowed himself to surrender to CJ’s arms.

"Come on, lets get back." CJ stood.

"How about a few more minutes?" he sat her down again.

"Yeah."

They did not speak to one another; they were lost in thoughts that criss-crossed the same subject.

***

Leo crawled into his bed at one thirty. He was surprised to find CJ there and already sound asleep. Her hair covered her face; Leo pushed it away with gentle fingers. She stirred slightly when he kissed her cheek and put his arms around her. He did not know how to express the joy of her being there right now. What a day he'd had...what a couple days he'd had. He drifted off to the sounds of Schubert on the CD player by CJ’s head.

He did not know how long he had been asleep when the screaming woke him. Leo’s internal clock said maybe two hours. CJ screamed at the top of her lungs; one of her flailing arms hit him square in the head. Shaking off the urge to pass out, Leo grabbed her by both shoulders. He shook her a bit.

"CJ, CJ, you're having a nightmare."

"Oh God Leo. Leo!"

She was still asleep. He shook her again.

"I am right here baby. CJ you are having a bad dream. Wake up baby."

Her eyes started to focus on him in the dark room.

"CJ, are you awake?"

She nodded, and then began to sob. Leo collected her into his arms as she curled into a ball.

"Its going to be OK CJ, I promise." he said quietly.

"I thought you were dead." She was barely coherent. "I was so scared."

"I'm here, and I am not leaving you."

His words did nothing to calm CJ’s fears. She sobbed herself back to sleep as Leo made soft circles on her back with his fingers. He did not fall asleep again. CJ woke with the 6am wake up call. Leo was not beside her and all she wanted was to go back to sleep. He walked into the bedroom with a cup of coffee, put it on the nightstand beside her, and leaned to kiss her lips.

"Good morning. Drink that."

"Is it more special that any other cup of coffee?" she asked.

As she reached for the elastic of Leo’s pajama pants and he fell onto the bed, he wondered if she remembered the nightmare.

"You are a strong Amazon of a woman." He said, bringing her close.

CJ nodded, dipping her head to kiss his neck. Leo knew she didn’t want to be strong this time. He undressed her, making gentle love to her. CJ whimpered as she held him close. When Leo climaxed she tried to hide her tears.

"What’s the matter?" he asked, wiping her wet face.

CJ shook her head.

"We are going to be late." She said. "The day will be long enough as it is."

Leo reluctantly went to the shower. CJ looked at his back for a few moments before going to the shower down the hall.

***

"They just gave him something to help him sleep." Donna said to CJ.

"I just want to look at him, you know, hold his hand."

Donna nodded.

"Are you sticking around?" CJ asked.

"There are some things to do. I’ll be back before visitor’s hours end."

The women parted ways; CJ went into the room. He was still hooked up to machines. They monitored his breathing and his heartbeat. CJ stared as she pulled the chair close to the bed at a clear IV drip. Taking his hand in hers CJ felt relief at its warmth. She looked at Josh, with his five o’clock shadow. How close they had come to losing him. To her the loss still felt palpable, possible.

"Oh mi amour, I think this one tops them all. You just keep fighting do you understand me? Nothing will ever be the same without you here. Its supposed to be the four of us, like the Beatles remember? Donna is here all the time...I think she got less sleep than me last night. Do you know that I lit a candle for the first time in about 17 years? Only for you Joshua."

He squeezed her hand, or tried to, and CJ smiled.

"Don’t make fun of me for being a lapsed Catholic." She said. "When is the last time you went to Temple mister? Toby, who is the craziest of us all, goes every Saturday. If you didn’t know that and you ever told him that it was me who spilled the beans I’ll strangle you."

CJ was quiet for a while; the beeps and hissing sounds engulfed her.

"Please wake up soon darling. I promise if you do I’ll do The Jackal. We’ll sing Gloria again...remember how fun that was. I’ll even play basketball with you guys and endure the Wilt Chamberlain jokes. I know I swore that off but it will be worth it to see you up and around."

CJ wiped a stray tear and looked at her watch.

"I have to go back to the White House. I don’t know if I will be able to come back before tomorrow. Everyone is praying Josh, I love you."

CJ kissed his lips softly and left the hospital.

***

Toby wandered around the bullpens at eleven thirty. He stopped to tap on CJ’s door.

"Come in." she said softly.

He stuck his head in, trying to put on a smile. She was playing Pavarotti; not a good sign at all.

"You are turning that off and we are getting plastered." He said.

"Sounds beautiful to me." CJ stopped the CD. "I can't though. I need to go home and get some rest. I haven’t slept much lately."

"Let me drive you."

CJ nodded, gathering her files and papers into her briefcase. Six weeks had passed since the shooting and nothing seemed to return to normal. It was like living in an alternate universe. All of the people were the same, but somehow they were all different. Moody, tired, scared, or resigned was how CJ saw everything. There was a grey cloud lingering, waiting to pour thunderous rain on them. Then there were midterm elections that kept everyone from getting the sleep or relaxation they so deserved.

"Toby, you are not going to drink alone are you?" CJ asked as they walked down the hall together.

"No." Toby lied. He was not an alcoholic because he had two or three drinks alone. Anyway, there was no way to truly be alone in Washington, DC. "Please do not add me to your list of reasons for premature grey hair."

CJ gave him a tired smile.

"I am so past grey hair. I think it is falling out in clumps."

"Is it? You're still beautiful." Toby replied.

"Thank you."

She climbed into his Nissan, buckling her seatbelt. When he started the car NPR came on.

"Do you ever listen to music anymore?" CJ asked.

"Edward Kennedy was on this morning." Toby said as CJ fiddled with the stations. "He still writes most of his speeches. All the people he surrounds himself with and he still writes most of his own words."

"He is an amazing orator." CJ agreed.

"Yeah."

She stopped when she found Breathe.

So raise your hands to heaven, and pray

That we’ll be back together, someday

Tonight I need your sweet caress

Hold me in the darkness

Tonight you calm my restlessness

You relieve my sadness

Toby flipped the station. CJ looked at him with wide blue eyes.

"I love that song." She said.

"Please, not tonight. Here, whatever this is will have to do."

He turned the corner and double-parked in front of her building.

"Get some rest." He said.

She nodded, turning to kiss his cheek.

"Goodnight Tobus."

"Goodnight."

She got out, dragged herself up the steps, and into her apartment. On nights like these she wished there was an elevator in her building. Opening the apartment door, CJ smelled cookies.

"Leo?"

He stuck his head out from the kitchen and smiled.

"What are you doing here?" she closed and locked the door.

"Would you believe that I am baking cookies for Josh?"

"What?"

CJ dropped everything by the closet door. She opened the fridge, grabbed the last beer, and leaned on the counter.

"Cookies for Josh?" she asked.

"Josh loves Jenny’s cookies. I got the recipe from Mallory and I decided to make them. I had so much on my mind...it was the perfect distraction."

CJ looked at her fiancé and could not help but laugh. Actually, it felt good to really laugh. Leo stood in her kitchen, wearing mesh shorts, a Chicago Bulls tee shirt and white gym socks, pulling a cookie sheet from the oven.

"This amuses you Claudia Jean?" he asked.

"A bit, yeah. Its kind of cute to see you bake."

Leo smiled again. He leaned, CJ bent down to kiss his mouth.

"Are the cookies any good?" she asked.

"Josh likes them."

"That doesn’t even come close to answering my question."

"Jenny used to bake them for all of Mallory’s school functions. If I were a cookie eater I would weigh a ton by now."

CJ nodded, taking a sip of beer. Leo went back to the oven; he put in another cookie sheet.

"I think I’ll take a shower." CJ said.

"Are you hungry baby...I could get pizza?"

"I am craving pan fried dumplings and fried rice with gravy. Ooh, and Coke; I’m all out of Coke."

Leo nodded. He put his arms around her, kissing her again.

"Shower and I’ll get dinner."

***

"Eating those cookies gave me the short-term desire to actually learn to bake." CJ said.

They were lying in bed, spooning. She smiled when she felt Leo massage her thigh. Being naked with him had become CJ’s favorite thing.

"I can make them for you." Leo said.

"Yeah."

"Oh, do you think you are ever going to start to pack?"

In less than a week CJ would be moving into the Georgetown house to live in sin with Leo until the wedding.

"I still have to get boxes. Midterm elections have been consuming so much of my time. The spin boys and Donna promised to help this weekend."

"Josh should not be doing any heavy lifting." Leo said.

"Don’t think he doesn’t know that. He will drive me bonkers supervising. Most likely he’ll either be slightly inebriated or high on sugar...good times."

Leo laughed. CJ took hold of his hand, bringing it around to rest on her stomach. It was not there long; Leo moved downward.

"Are you feeling alright baby?" he asked.

"In about five minutes I will most likely be euphoric." CJ replied.

"Yeah, probably. How are you feeling now?"

"OK. I had a nightmare last weekend; while you were in Chicago."

She was still having them off and on, but CJ knew it was something she had not yet fully dealt with. She was not sure how she could. Work came first, then Leo, then Josh’s recovery...if she worked hard on all of those maybe the dreams would stop themselves in time.

"I don’t care what time it is, if you have a bad dream you call me."

CJ shook her head.

"You were busy, and I can handle it. Where is my euphoria Mr. McGarry?"

Leo slid his hand past the waist of her sleep pants.

"Happy now?" he stroked the sensitive skin.

"Umm hmm...so are you. Admit it."

Leo kissed the nape of her neck, and then slipped her earlobe between his teeth. CJ threw her head back, her neck resting on Leo’s shoulder. She moaned as he brought her to orgasm. Biting down on her lip, CJ closed her eyes. Leo laid her on her back and covered her body with his own. His hands ran down her long arms before she wrapped them around his back.

"I love you Leo." She lifted her head to kiss him.

Leo told her how much he loved her as he made love to her. He could not wait for her to be his wife...and eager anticipation was not Leo McGarry’s thing. They had been through so much in the past few months, and they were not on the other side yet. They would get over the hump together; he was not sure if he could do it without her. Leo didn’t think he would ever have the confidence to say that aloud, but as he spilled inside of her he whispered in her ear.

"You are everything Claudia Jean."

***

"You could fit more books in there." Josh said, standing from the couch.

"This from the guy who won't be lugging it." Sam said.

His back was to Josh; he was filling more boxes with books.

"Hey!" CJ snapped, coming into the room.

Sam jumped to full attention.

"Joshua, put that damn box down! If you strain even your pinkie muscle Leo will have my head."

Josh smirked. He sat back on the couch and CJ handed him beer and potato chips.

"Josh, I’ll have your head if you strain yourself." Donna said from the kitchen.

"That one wants to keep me prisoner until I go back to work. I remind her constantly that that will be two weeks from now."

Josh was somewhere around 80%, but in typical male fashion, he thought he could do it all. Sam just rolled his eyes, remembering with a shudder how close they had come to losing him. CJ looked around.

"Where’s Toby?" she asked.

"Packing the bedroom and the bathroom." Sam replied.

"He is too quiet." CJ said.

"Maybe he is trying on your underwear." Josh said.

They all laughed. CJ went into the bedroom. Toby was pulling things out of the closet, humming to himself. It sounded like a Hall and Oates song to CJ.

"Hey, you OK?" CJ didn't want to startle him.

"Why do women accumulate so much, most of which you will never use?"

He answered her question with one of his own, which meant he had a lot of thoughts and feelings running through his mind.

"I just wanted to check on you. Josh thought you might be rifling through my panties and trying them on."

Toby looked at her.

"I tried already...to small."

She smiled.

"Take a break; we’ll have lunch."

"I want to finish this."

CJ nodded, leaving the room.

"The kitchen is done." Donna said as she passed CJ in the hallway. "I thought I’d start on the hall closet."

"Have a beer break first Donna. How do you pack so quickly?"

"Josh really can't do it well, though he never admits it. After the crazy pace of the campaign I just got good at it."

"You are too good to him sometimes." CJ said.

"Yeah, I have a weakness for his stupidity."

They both laughed.

"Share the joke." Josh called from the living room.

"Shut up mi amour."

Donna and CJ grabbed beers, sitting down on the couch between Sam and Josh.

"What are we watching?" CJ asked.

"Girls basketball; University of Tennessee vs. UConn. Its good stuff." Sam said.

"These chicks are rough." Josh added. "Some of them frighten me."

"Does that take much?" Donna asked.

Toby walked out into the living room. He plopped into the chair, taking a beer from the six-pack on the table.

"Who’s winning?" he asked.

"UConn by eight." Josh replied.

"Did you smell sports from the bedroom Toby?" CJ asked.

"I just got tired of wading through your endless mounds of crap. It seemed as if you’ve lived in this apartment for your entire life." Toby said.

CJ got up from the couch, crashing down on Toby’s lap as if it were nothing. Josh looked at them. Toby looked sour though his hand rested on CJ’s back and CJ seemed content to listen to Sam talk about the rich history of the Lady Volunteers. Josh didn’t think the whole CJ/Toby dynamic would ever be comprehensible to him. Not that Josh Lyman knew much about the complex relationship between the sexes. Leo was the lucky husband-to-be, and Toby was what? The best friend? The spurned suitor? The lover? Whoa man, slow down he told himself, CJ would never do that.

"Hey Josh." CJ waved her hand in front of his face. 

"Huh? What did you say, I’m sorry."

"Burgers, pizza, or Chinese?" Sam asked.

"Chinese."

CJ nodded, handing Toby the phone.

"You call." She said.

"Get more beer." Sam said. "UCLA is getting ready to play the Gators."

"You guys are going to get plastered and be useless to me." CJ said.

"Yeah," Josh replied. "Probably. Call Charlie too Toby. If he isn’t busy he can help."

"I’m there for you CJ." Donna said.

Both women knew Charlie would help the men watch basketball, even if they always loved his company.

"Everybody has money right?" Toby asked, hanging up the phone.

He sighed when they all groaned and looked around. CJ laughed.

"Leo left a fifty in the kitchen drawer. He called it my emergency grocery fund." She said.

"You don’t grocery shop." Sam said.

"I know. I renamed it my emergency take out fund weeks ago."

"OK, get off of me." Toby sat up slightly, nearly spilling CJ onto the floor.

She kicked him in the shin; not too hard and not too soft.

"I will go where I am loved Tobus." CJ replied, sliding in beside Josh. He put his arm around her.

Toby dialed Charlie’s cell phone. CJ looked at him and he winked.

"I want to thank you guys for doing all of this." She said. "I couldn’t have done it without all of you though it isn’t done yet."

"Thanks aren’t needed." Sam said.

"Yeah." Donna agreed. "We are glad to do it."

"The free food, beer, and basketball are an extra added bonus." Josh said.

CJ looked at Toby.

"Charlie is on his way over." He said. "Besides, Claudia Jean, what are friends for?"

***


End file.
